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Buckeye triumph

Saturday’s game was victory over Michigan and over adversity

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Not just because they won on Saturday in the ’Shoe over archrival Michigan.

Not just because they finished the season undefeated, 12-0, to join just five previous Ohio
State University football teams that finished unbeaten and with no ties.

And not because the 26-21 win, played before a massive crowd of 105,899, included some good
football.

But because this team showed what Ohio State is all about, and what football should be: courage,
determination, hard work, the team as family, not to mention the refusal to quit.

The victory wasn’t just about winning against Michigan; this victory was about how the Ohio
State Buckeyes have come roaring back after last year’s chaotic, dispirited season. Amid a
memorabilia-for-tattoos scandal, the team lost its coach and suffered NCAA sanctions, which
included being banned this year from post-season play.

So no matter how perfectly this team played, the 2012 Buckeyes team knew from Day One that there
would be no bowl trip, nor even a Big Ten championship game.

Didn’t matter. This is a team nothing could stop.

Running back Carlos Hyde “was the backbone of the offense in the win” over Michigan, noted
The Dispatch’s Tim May. Hyde had come back from an early-season knee sprain.

Quarterback Braxton Miller set a school record, amassing 3,310 yards of total offense in a
season.

And this victory would not have happened without the seniors, who stuck with the team through
the scandal, even though the NCAA gave them the chance to transfer. These men have built a new and
stronger foundation for Buckeye football. "I want to make sure they're properly recognized as one
of the great groups of seniors in the history of this program," Coach Urban Meyer said.

The Buckeyes went 6-7 last year, but fought their way back to a perfect season, culminating with
the best win of all, vanquishing Michigan.

This was a remarkable comeback. Credit goes largely to OSU Director of Athletics Gene Smith, who
was a steady hand during the storm, recruiting Meyer, who is one of college football’s greatest
coaches. This performance is typical of Smith, who has been a wonderful leader for the program
since he joined it in 2005. Thanks to him, this year’s Buckeyes knew they had a great coach who
would work them hard and expect nothing less than 100 percent commitment. They met his
expectations.

Meyer won’t get to take his team to a championship game this time, but let there be no doubt
that young high-school football players again are dreaming of playing for the Buckeyes. Meyer has
established the necessary momentum for his career at OSU and restored Buckeye pride.

Congratulations to the team, the coaches and to all who make the OSU athletic department a
success. And to other Big Ten rivals: Better get ready.